On Media

Schmidt's double-edged Romney defense

By DYLAN BYERS

07/22/2012 01:44 PM EDT

Steve Schmidt, top strategist on John McCain’s 2008 campaign strategist and one of the few citizens privy to the portrait that emerges from Mitt Romney's tax returns, went on NBC's "Meet The Press" today.

First, he helped Romney out:

Mitt Romney went through this process, what I can tell you is that he's a person of decency with the highest ethical character and background. And there was nothing that was disqualifying. The pick in 2008 wasn't about any deficiency with Mitt Romney. It was a political decision that we made in a very bad political circumstance.

Then, he didn't:

Well, he's an extremely wealthy man and his tax returns do not look anything like the average American's tax returns.